Frame for internal combustion engines



FRAME FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed March 6, 1933 III/II INVENTGR ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES FRAME FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Roscoe F. Good, United States Navy Application March 6,

15 Claims.

1933, Serial No. 659,859

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30,

This invention relates to a frame for an internal combustion engine and has for its object to provide an engine frame that is of low specific weight, low cost and has inherent rigidity.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be described more fully hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a section through a cylinder of a radial engine embodying my invention taken transversely to the crank shaft;

Fig. 2 is a section of the same taken parallel to the crank shaft.

It is the usual practice to construct the frame for internal combustion engines of cast metal which must be relatively heavy to withstand the stresses imposed thereon. I have found that if the frame is constructed of forged or rolled metal and placed under compression, the same strength is provided with much less weight.

Throughout this specification and the claims appended thereto the term worked metal will be used to distinguish that which is forged or rolled from cast metal.

While for purposes of illustration my invention is shown in the form of a radial engine of the Diesel type, it is to be understood that it is not limited to any particular system of fuel injection or any special valve mechanism associated therewith.

The two body members 3 may be manufactured by die forging or die pressing, or they, with their radial walls l, may be fabricated from sheet metal by welding, or constructed in any other suitable manne adapted to worked metal. The engine frame of my invention may be considered as being made in two sections that are separated on .a plane passing through the longitudinal axes of the cylinders in the case of a radial engine as illustrated, which sections cooperate to define spaces to receive cylinder liners. The members 3, of which there is one on each side of the said plane, are substantially in the form of disks, and from each member 3 the radial walls 3 extend toward corresponding and coalcting walls on the other member 3 to define spaces 5 within which cylinder liners 6 may be disposed. Phe two parts of the body, consisting of members 3 with their radial walls 4, are secured together by welding together the free edges of the walls 4 on the two sections and the periphery of the body thus made is machined to the desired size. A compression member l made by forging or any other desired method is machined on its inner face to be slightly smaller than the body so that when the compression member is heated and placed on the body, it will shrink against the body upon cooling and place the body under compressive stress in which the unit compression is somewhat greater than the unit tensile load that will be imposed thereon when the engine is operating. The joints between the body and compression member 1 are preferably welded as indicated at 23 to make them water tight.

Webs 8 have a tapered fit, as shown at 9, in the members 3 and are forced into position to place the webs also under compression. The crank shaft it is mounted in the webs 8 in any suitable manner.

The cylinder liner ii is in water-tight contact with the body at its inner end as shown at l l but the greater portion of the liner is spaced from the members 3 and walls l to form a jacket for circulating a cooling liquid around each liner. Head E2 of the cylinder liner may be formed integrally with the liner or separately therefrom and then welded thereto. The cylinder head assembly which includes head 62 has in it spaces 93 for the circulation of the cooling liquid over the cylinder head, these spaces being connected to the water jacket around liner 6 through openings it and a space 55 between the body and the inner part of the cylinder head structure, whereby the head of the cylinder is adequately cooled. The cylinder head structure is seated upon and secured to the outer surface of compression member i.

In the present embodiment there is shown a piston it in liner 6 connected to crank shaft ill by a connecting rod l'l. Fuel injection plunger it and air inlet valves iii are operated by rocker arms 2E3 actuated by a push rod 2!. However, since these elements form no part of my invention the details of construction thereof may be varied as desired.

Cooling liquid is admitted to the water jacket through the pipe 22, flows around the cylinder liner 6, through passages it and i5 and into the spaces i3 whence it is carried off by a water outlet pipe.

lviy invention may be used on an engine having any number of cylinders in a bank or any number of arrangement of valves or banks of cylinders. With this construction it is not necessary to have compression applying means that are separate from the engine frame members.

It will be understood that the above description and accompanying drawing comprehend only the general and preferred embodiment of my invention, and that various changes in the construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be. made within the scope of the appended claims without sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

I claim:

1. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body having in it spaces to receive cylinder liners, two webs having a forced fit in said body and adapted to support a crank shaft, an endless compression member upon said body, the normal internal dimensions of said member being slightly less than the external dimensions of that part of the body upon which it is seated to place said body under compression, a cylinder liner disposed in each of said spaces to leave a passage around said liner for the circulation of a cooling agent but in fluid-tight contact with said body at the inner end of the liner, and a cylinder head assembly secured to said liner and seated upon said compression member, there being a space between said compression member and said assembly to permit the circulation of liquid therebetween and an opening into said as sembly from said space to permit the passage of liquid into said assembly.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body consisting-of two parts integrally united to form spaces to receive cylinder liners, two webs having a forced fit in said body and adapted to support a crank shaft, an endless compression member upon said body, the normal internal dimensions of said member being slightly less than the external dimensions of that part of the body upon which it is seated to place said body under compression, a cylinder liner disposed in each of said spaces to leave a passage around said liner for the circulation of a cooling agent but in fluid-tight contact with said body at the inner end of the liner, and a cylinder head assembly secured to said liner and seated upon said compression member, there being a space between said compression member and said assembly to permit the circulation of liquid therebetween and an opening into said assembly from said space to permit the passage of liquid into said assembly.

3. In an internal combustion comprising a body having in it spaces to receive cylinder liners, means carried by said body to support a crank shaft, an endless compression member upon said body, the normal internal dimensions of said member being slightly less than the external dimensions of that part of the body upon which it is seated to place said body under compression, a cylinder liner disposed in each of said spaces having its inner end in fluid-tight relation with said body and a space around said body to circulate a cooling agent, a cylinder head assembly attached to each liner and seated on said compression member with a fluid space between said liner and said compression member in communication with a space in said head assembly.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body of worked metal having in it spaces to receive cylinder liners, means carried by said body to support a crank shaft, an endless compression member upon said body, the normal internal dimensions of said member being slightly less than the external dimensions of that part of the body upon which it is seated to place said body under compression, a cylinder liner disposed in each of said spaces having its inner end in fluid-tight relation with said body and a space around said body to circulate a cooling agent, a cylinder head assembly attached to each liner and seated on said compression member with a fluid space between said liner and said compression member in communicaengine, a frame tion with a space in said head assembly.

5. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body of worked metal having side portions secured together to define spaces to receive cylinder liners, a cylinder liner in each said space, endless annular means to place said body under compression and crank shaft supporting means assembled with said body to place said supporting means under compression.

6. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body of worked metal having in it spaces for a cylinder liner, a cylinder liner in each said space, endless annular means to place said body under compression, and crank shaft supporting means assembled with said body to place said supporting means under compression.

7. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body of worked metal having side portions secured together to define spaces for cylinder liners, a cylinder liner in each said space and endless annular means to place said body under compression.

8. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body of worked metal having in it spaces for cylinder liners, a cylinder liner in each said space and endless annular means to place said body under compression.

9. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body of worked metal having in it spaces for cylinder liners, a cylinder liner in each said space, endless annular means to place said body under initial unit compression greater than the unit tensile load that will be imposed thereon when the engine is operating and crank shaft supporting means assembled with said body in such manner as to place said supporting means under compression.

10. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body of worked metal having in it spaces for cylinder liners, a cylinder liner in each said space, and endless annular means to place said body under initial unit compression greater than the unit tensile load that will be imposed thereon when the engine is operating.

11. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body consisting of two parts integrally united to form spaces to receive cylinder liners, two webs having a forced fit in said body and adapted to support a crank shaft, and an endless compression member upon said body to place said body under compression.

12. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body having in it spaces to receive cylinder liners, means carried by said body to support a crank shaft, and an endless compression member upon said body to place said body under compression.

13. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body of worked metal having side portions secured together to define spaces for cylinder liners, and endless annular means to place said body under compression.

14. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body of worked metal having in it spaces for cylinder liners, and endless annular means to place said body under compression.

15. In an internal combustion engine, a frame comprising a body of worked metal having in it spaces for cylinder liners, and endless annular means to place said body under initial unit compression greater than the unit tensile load that will be imposed thereon when the engine is operating.

ROSCOE F. GOOD. 

